Comments

I salute the author for being able to imagine that Donald Trump "has any hopes to be anything remotely close to a responsible leader." The best hope I can muster is that he will not do too much more damage (he has already done a great deal).

Maybe -- let me be crazy optimistic here! -- he will even cause the GOP to start playing a constructive role in American life again.Read more

Trump was elected to liberate the American people from the nightmare world of the cosmopolitan elite. The cosmopolitan elite has been both infinitely greedy and unbearably smug for decades. The people of the UK and now the USA have revolted against their oppressors. The gated-community crowd have trashed the lives of ordinary people without mercy. Now the unprotected are rejecting the unfounded arrogance of the protected. It is called Democracy. For years, the elite has been able to shutdown all debate on trade, immigration, failed multiculturalism, Open Borders, PC by just shouting "racism", "sexism", "bigotry", etc. Of course, PC has always been a tool for elite exploitation of the people. This year, the people stopped listening. Read more

Americans have enlisted a unique dear Leader who will perform the unspeakable miracle of providing for both the disenfranchised and for big capital, in the same act. We are now in a hypnotic trance, watching. Read more

Lucy P. Marcus urges Trump to reinvent himself In light of his vitriolic rhetoric, ferocious expletive-laden rants and hate speeches against opponents, government institutions, media outlets, and "many segments of the US population, particularly immigrants, refugees, supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement, and Muslims" during his campaign.What threatens to tear the country's social fabric apart is that he drew the enthusiastic support of white supremacists and hate groups from the Ku Klux Klan to the white nationalists of the so-called alt-right. Emboldened by his victory, his supporters have begun to emerge "from the anonymity of abusing targets on social media to accosting them openly on the street." Like in Britain after the Brexit vote, hate crimes against minorities or opponents are on the rise.The author finds many of the campaign pledges Trump made to his supporters "highly divisive and even dangerous, and their implementation could have serious adverse effects on the lives of ordinary Americans, triggering civil unrest." By the same token, failing to deliver on some of those policy pledges "could trigger a backlash – perhaps violent – among his supporters." Indeed, Trump should stew in his own juice and reap what he has sown.It wouldn't be a surprise that the election victory left him "dumbfounded." Now he has to figure out what next. Since his campaign was badly organised, he didn't expect to win. As impetuous and narcissistic as he is, and given the fact that he reads little, and has never in life held any public office, he might have enough after a few weeks or months - being confined to a bureaucratic straitjacket in Washington, not being able to continue his buffoonery on reality shows. He may fancy the idea of being president with all the trappings of power, and see it as a trophy. But - as he once said about hunting - he might soon grow tired of it , once it were in his possession.It remains to be seen how he will heal the wounds and reconcile with those he has attacked and insulted. It is unclear how sincere his victory speech was, even if he invoked Abraham Lincoln's spirit - “bind up the nation’s wounds.” He has told lies, avoided paying taxes, had protesters beaten by his supporters through inciting violence during his rally etc. He shouldn't expect respect from those who didn't vote for him. People don't forget and he wouldn't change their mood and opinion in his first 100 days in office.Former top Republican politicians said recently that the political climate in Washington has been poisoned by bipartisan hostilities. Now with such a controversial figure like Trump at the helm, it may just be wishful thinking that Republicans, who control both Houses of Congress, would be interested in reaching out to the Democrats to create a win-win situation. Indeed, they have to ease the country's tensions, "improve cooperation, and protect the US political system’s checks and balances. They must recognize that the US today is a tinderbox. The time for playing with fire is overl."﻿ Read more

Trump's election victory is much more than a episode of contest between the two major political parties in America. It is part of the broad trend revealed before November 9th by Brexit, rise of right extremism across Europe, retreat of democracy in other parts of the world. Put differently, Trump's triumph is a symptom of a deep-seated problem that has been festering for at least a few decades. One fundamental cause of the trend is the failure of ruling parties to address the plight suffered by those disenfranchised by globalisation and the IT revolution, while allowing the financial sector to inflict havoc to the real economy. The state has been captured by a tiny group of super-rich. For too long, mainstream political leaders have been admitting that the rich are getting richer, the poor poorer, and the 1% reaping the giant share of economic growth. But what have they done to solve the problems? If President Obama has failed, would Hiliary Clinton succeed had she been elected into the White House? Unless these key problems are effectively solved, expect more Trumps to emerge in America, Europe and elsewhere. Read more

You live in a fantasy World. Trump was elected to bring pain to the liberal world, as an act of revenge for pain inflicted on blue collar people by neoliberal economic policy. Hoping he changes his mind and comes to see the world through your eyes reminds me of Neville Chamberlin hoping for peace with Hitler. Read more

Professor if you believe Trump is going to become more "presidential" read more like Clinton or Paul Ryan. I've got a bridge to sell you great view of Brooklyn. Just look at the people he has appointed to his transition team or the announcements on his web site. I suspect the Republicans are about to get a rude surprise equal to the Democrats last Tuesday. It aint gonna be business has usual. Trump appears to more serious about his campaign statements then anyone realized. Read more

PS On Air: The Super Germ Threat

NOV 2, 2016

In the latest edition of PS On
Air
, Jim O’Neill discusses how to beat antimicrobial resistance, which
threatens millions of lives, with Gavekal Dragonomics’ Anatole Kaletsky
and Leonardo Maisano of
Il Sole 24 Ore.

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